A variety of mobile loading dock ramps have been devised with different safety measure considerations. Most loading dock ramps of the prior art have at least a portion of the upper ramp resting on the bed of a trailer as it is loaded or unloaded. This practice can be hazardous since a truck may pull away with the upper edge of the ramp still resting on the trailer causing the ramp and materials on the ramp to fall downward to the ground.
There are many such ramp devices in the prior art which do not have safety features to prevent the ramp from falling to the ground should the vehicle being loaded or unloaded suddenly pull away or jerk slightly. One such device is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,068 (Hurd) which discloses a ramp placed onto the bed of a truck. There are no safety features present on such ramp should the truck pull away while loading or unloading is taking place.
Loading dock ramps of the prior art typically have certain disadvantages such as the lack of safety features noted above. It would be desirable to have a mobile loading dock ramp which is secure and safe and which would not fall and hit the ground if the vehicle being unloaded suddenly or mistakenly moved away from the ramp. This device overcomes this problem by providing a ground support leg as well as a hydraulic flow control valve and safety chains.
This device overcomes certain problems and shortcomings in the prior art, including those mentioned above and others, and provides advantages for a mobile loading dock ramp not previously provided.